NBA Trade Talk: Mavs Trade for Pacers’ Myles Turner on Draft Night?

If the Dallas Mavericks hang onto their 2023 first-round pick after the NBA Draft lottery sorts out the order, could they trade for Indiana Pacers' Myles Turner?

After an underachieving 2022-23 campaign, the Dallas Mavericks' attention will shift toward improving their roster. There has already been reporting that the Mavs are expected to use their first-round pick in the upcoming NBA Draft as a trade chip, if, of course, that 20.8 percent chance they face of losing the selection doesn't come to fruition.

The lack of defensive execution was a clear problem for the Mavs. They ranked 26th in defensive rating on the season, often enabling teams to make comebacks, or simply making it challenging to put teams away. Dallas has the foundational talent for an elite offense, but lacks game-changers on defense.

"The two biggest things we need: defense, period. And then rebounding," Mavs general manager Nico Harrison said regarding roster improvement. "So, that's going to be addressed."

Given the inconsistency of Christian Wood's role, it seems more likely that not that the impending free agent will depart to play elsewhere. If that was to occur, the Mavs would need to find a legitimate solution at the center position in a hurry with limited options to do so. The simplest route would be to use their 2023 first-round pick if they manage to keep it after the NBA Draft lottery occurs.

One hypothetical trade scenario from NBA Analysis Network features the Mavs sending Davis Bertans, Reggie Bullock, 2023 First-Round Pick (DAL), 2027 First-Round Pick (DAL) to the Indiana Pacers in exchange for Myles Turner. In this scenario, it would be under the assumption that they not only keep their top 10 pick, but that it stays near the 10th spot. 

Turner, who signed a contract extension that is worth $40.9 million over the next two years, will just under $21.0 million in 2023-24. He is coming off a strong season, averaging 18.0 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 2.3 blocks. He produced strong scoring splits amid a career-year as he shot 54.8 percent from the floor, 37.3 percent from 3-point range, and 78.3 percent on free throws. 

There's a lot to like about what Turner can provide an offense, especially as he's shown when playing with an elite playmaker like Tyrese Haliburton. Turner can space the floor and shoot on the pop, attack off the catch, has soft touch on the roll, and can punish smaller defenders on switches. All of those attributes enables Turner to be a threat in traditional pick-and-roll actions, or space out and cut if the team wants to play out of isolation with their perimeter options.

In terms of rebounding, Turner wouldn't be a one-man solution. He hasn't been an elite defensive rebounder throughout his NBA career, but he does offer a paint presence that can help cover up deficiencies from the rest of the unit. Regardless, as is the case with having any shot blocker, the unit as a whole would need to be ready to help the helper to finish possessions on the boards. 

Acquiring Turner would be a good start for the Mavs toward repairing a defeated configuration. However, this scenario would be challenging to further those efforts as far as subsequent moves are concerned since they'd moving both of the only two first-round picks they can move in this scenario. 

The order of operations would be challenging for a big trade of this nature considering the NBA Draft happens before free agency. Is it safe to go all-in with every trade eligible draft pick through 2027 before knowing what impending free agent Kyrie Irving is going to do?

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